Biomarkers responses and polybrominated diphenyl ethers and their methoxylated analogs measured in Sparus aurata from the Lagoon of Bizerte, Tunisia

This study aimed to the examination of the levels and effects of organobromine compounds (polybrominated diphenyl ethers: PBDEs and methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers: MeO-PBDEs), in Sparus aurata native to the Lagoon of Bizerte. For that, different biomarkers of exposure (somatic indices, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities) and effect (malondialdehyde level, histopathologic alterations, and DNA damage) as well as pollutant levels were measured in specimens collected from this impacted ecosystem and the Mediterranean Sea as a reference site. Bizerte Lagoon PBDE fish levels were higher than the Mediterranean Sea, whereas MeO-PBDEs were higher in the reference site. Fish from Bizerte Lagoon presented a higher hepatosomatic index, lower catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, higher level of malondialdehyde, and higher percentage of DNA tail in comparison to fish from the reference area. The histological study of the liver indicated substantial lesions in fish from the polluted site. The results showed strong positive correlations between the concentrations of the PBDE or MeO-PBDE and the MDA and DNA tail % levels and negative correlations for the activities of enzymes of SOD and CAT. Consequently, these findings could suggest a potential link between exposure to these pollutants and the observed biomarker responses in the Bizerte Lagoon seabream. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of biomarker selection and the selected sentinel fish species as useful tools for biomonitoring of aquatic pollution.

The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CEMAGUA-CGL2007-64551/HID) and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientifc Research supported this study. The authors are thankful to R. Chaler, D. Fangul, and M. Comesaña for their help at the mass spectrometry work. We gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Joan Serret, David Ramos-López, Javier Gonzalez-Linares, Lydia Camps, Natàlia Brull Barco, and Constança Porredon Guarch in biomarker analysis. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Deanship of Scientific Research, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Peer reviewed